Return of the Wolf
by ElfDrake
Summary: Rose returns, but fifty-thousand years without the Doctor changes someone. . . a lot.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I never have and alas! Never will own Doctor Who. **

"Hullo, Martha Jones," a girl with layered ginger and brown hair said. Martha Jones jumped and turned around. She had never seen the girl before in her life. Martha stopped, even though she needed to get inside the Empire State Building.

"Who are you?" Martha asked.

"That hardly matters. But can you give the Doctor these two messages for me?" Ginger-and-Brown asked.

"Alright," Martha agreed.

"Tell him these: The Bad Wolf is watching and the TARDIS can be returned," Bad Wolf replied, an emotionless smile spreading across her lips.

Martha continued on her way, thinking about the odd girl.


	2. Return

The Doctor was practically – if not actually – begging a Dalek to kill him for the second time that day. The Bad Wolf had been watching, and she was not pleased. She could not let her Doctor die. She had lost him once, but never again.

"No! You will not exterminate him, you puny Dalek. I am the Bad Wolf, and I created myself so long ago. Are you frightened? Because you should be," Bad Wolf shouted, placing herself between the Daleks and the Doctor. Bad Wolf's face contorted into a malevolent smile topped by a glare that could have cowed even the Emperor of the Daleks.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" Dalek Vai screeched. Bad Wolf laughed, which sounded dark and menacing like a storm cloud. She deflected the beams, and then nigh lazily turned the Daleks into golden dust.

The Doctor, finally recovered, whispered hoarsely, "Rose? How can you be here? Shouldn't the universe have fractured?"

The golden light died away from the Bad Wolf''s eyes, turning her back into Rose Tyler. "Doctor," she said at last, keeping her tone neutral. She did not want to feel emotion. But she did, however, catch the narrowing of Martha's eyes. "The Void was closing in around my universe. Then I woke up near here. Your universe should have died."

The Doctor grimaced, "Do you want me to –to finish that sentence?" His voice came out as an even hoarser whisper.

Rose tried to keep her face neutral, emotionless, but she couldn't help the sad smile on her face. "Yes. But not here, not now. Take me to my TARDIS. Please, Doctor, before Bad Wolf comes again."

The Doctor's eyes bulged nearly out of his head when she said 'her TARDIS'. _How could his Rose possibly have a TARDIS?! _"What?"

"My TARDIS. You know, the one you have. Well, she was good and rightfully mine before you stole it. Wait. . . that means. . . ." Rose's hands flew to her mouth, realizing what she had done. She felt a thumping on her consciousness. Bad Wolf wanted in. But she could not let Bad Wolf take over.

The Doctor blanched, his wide eyes telling exactly how shocked he was. "But how?"

"I'll explain later. But I have to restore her memories – or at least the ones I took," Rose said, blinking solemnly at the Doctor. Suddenly, she felt a slight bit of energy entering her system. It was not Bad Wolf. It was. . . . "Well, that explains a lot," Rose muttered under her breath. Martha just looked even more confused than the Doctor.

The Doctor stood up in a manner that reminded Rose of a broken marionette that had tears running down its face. Finally, Martha snapped, "Look what you've gone and done! You made him all sad!"

Rose flinched staring down at the ground. Emotions let Bad Wolf take over. Bad Wolf was sadistic and powerful and would destroy any in her path. The TARDIS could draw the energy from her. It would be safer to wait. "I know. It hurts me at least as much."

Martha just stared at Rose blankly. _Why couldn't Rose at least show emotion?_ _She didn't seem sad that she had just shattered the Doctor's hearts. _

Rose burst into a jog. She had to make it to the TARDIS and restore the ship's memories before she. . . well, poofed. "Rose!" The Doctor called after her.

Within a few minutes, Rose had made it to the TARDIS and let herself in. She panted heavily and collapsed onto the floor. She placed her right hand onto her temple and her left on the console. Light drifted from girl to TARDIS, and the TARDIS's memories were restored.

Rose collapsed onto the floor just as the Doctor rushed in. "Rose!" he cried in alarm at seeing his Rose unconscious on the floor. Before the Doctor could rush to her side, however, a golden light began to swirl around Rose.

"No," he whispered, "It can't be."

"What is it, Doctor?" Martha asked, frowning at the odd sight before them.

"She's – she's regenerating!" the Doctor said, his voice simultaneously awestruck and breaking. "She's a Time Lady, apparently!"

Martha frowned deeper, "As in the female version of your species?"

"Exactly, Martha Jones!" the Doctor exclaimed manically.

"But you said all of the others were dead," Martha said, perplexedly.

"You Are Not Alone. What if the Face of Boe knew Rose was coming back?" the Doctor asked, becoming more elated than ever. Martha was glad to see him happy even as jealousy trickled through her like venom.

On the floor, Rose stirred, a lock of auburn hair spilling into her eyes. "So, less ginger than usual, but all the same color. Hmm. . . ." She patted the rest of her face. "Still the same face? Why can't I change anything except the hair?!"

The Doctor looked at her with faint amusement, "I take it this is not your first time then?"

"Nope," Rose said, looking anywhere else but at the Doctor. "Same face, new hair. I quite liked the ginger and brown hair. It's always slightly ginger. I guess it's because you had always wanted ginger hair, Doctor."

The Doctor looked genuinely surprised. A lump formed in his throat, "Ginger? For me?"

"Yes," Rose replied, allowing herself to smile. "In case you were wondering about the rush. . .well, actually, never mind that. It'd be easier to let you see my memories."

"You'd let me?" the Doctor asked, touched by how much Rose trusted him.

"Of course! After all, I love you, Doctor!" Rose replied, finally looking the Doctor in the eyes. To her delight, the Doctor was smiling broadly.

"That sentence was 'Rose Tyler, I love you too.'" The Doctor beamed. Martha stormed out of the room. Both of the Time Folks had forgotten her presence. Bad Wolf threatened to overcome Rose. Fortunately, the TARDIS pulled the Bad Wolf back.

"Did I tell you that Bad Wolf comes when my emotions are too strong?" Rose asked.

"No. You said you would show me your memories?" the Doctor replied.

Rose took a deep breath, "I did. But I have one request, and you're not going to like it."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows almost comically, "Oh?"

"If I show you my life for the last – how long since I last saw you? – ah, yes, fifty thousand years, would you show me your life before you met me?"


	3. And Forever

**So I'm finally updating! Brilliant! Took me long enough too! This should be the last chapter. I'm trying to finish up at least a few of my fanfics, and then I'm going to edit what exists of a few, finish those, and then start a few more, hopefully one at a time. Oh, right. And then there's school. And homework. And reading. And writing other stuff. And helping people. So, no. Not going to be busy at all. =D**

"Alright," the Doctor consented, "well, I must warn you that not all of it's pleasant. Well, fifty-thousand years?! What?!"

"I'm older than you, I've committed suicide more than once, died more than once, have a sadistic psychopath in my head, and seen the end of a universe. Do you really think what you've seen is worse than that?" Rose was threatening to be overwhelmed by her emotions. Sure, the TARDIS could always pull her back, but she didn't want to even become Bad Wolf even a little bit. That never turned out well, not ever.

"Fifty-thousand years," the Doctor stated, still not quite believing his years.

"Yes, now can we hurry up. It's easier to think right now. This really would be the best time," Rose replied, her eyes completely serious.

"We'd practically be bonded," the Doctor stated, making sure Rose understood the gravity of the situation.

"Yes, almost, not quite. We could. . ." Rose trailed off, blushing furiously. Bad Wolf pressed against the walls of her mind. She winced and placed her hand on the Doctor's shoulder to stabilize herself.

"Yep, what do you think, Rose?" the Doctor asked.

"Of course," Rose smiled.

"Molto bene," the Doctor smiled. He nodded slightly, silently asking permission to enter Rose's mind. Outwardly, both the Doctor and Rose appeared to be the epitome of calm. But on the inside, both were bursting with anxiety. Well, the Doctor was. Rose, on the other hand, was trying not to burst with anxiety.

The Doctor placed his fingers on Rose's temple. Rose did the same to the Doctor. Without even a millisecond of hesitation, they plunged into each other's mind.

Rose gasped, panting. The Doctor's breathing was ragged. He hadn't ever had someone else in his mind, not like that.

Rose extended her mind further into the Doctor's and led him to her memories, starting just after Dalig Ulv-Stranden.

Rose died the first time right after Dalig Ulv-Stranden. She had been crying not focusing on where she had been going. The car hit her, and she had died within minutes. Her family had already said their final goodbyes to her. Then she had woken up. She realized that she had two hearts. So she left, letting everyone think she was dead. After that, she travelled the world and stopped crises under many fake names , but the most prominent was Joan Smith.

In turn, the Doctor showed Rose the memories of the Academy at Gallifrey and stealing the TARDIS from the museum with his granddaughter.

One day, Rose was transported to Gallifrey. They gave her the TARDIS. She travelled for a hundred years. Then, the Bad Wolf began coming back even more. She began to change into an evil psychopath not under her control if she was angered. The TARDIS was the only one who could take it from her.

The Doctor showed Rose the time he spent in his first incarnation with Barbara, Ian, and Susan, and the others.

Rose showed the Doctor the first time that happiness caused the Bad Wolf to take over. Rose realized that if she wanted people to be safe, she would have to stop having emotions, to stop being a full person. She had sulked, or done the unemotional equivalent thereof, for about a year inside the TARDIS. Then she continued travelling, but this time as an implacable, distant, aloof, uncompassionate mortal. Any inkling of emotion led to the Bad Wolf taking over. She didn't care if she died. In fact, she had tried to end her own life many time, but she had either come back from the dead or regenerated every time. The Time Vortex liked her being in that form and only allowed her to change her hair. The TARDIS had become her one true friend.

Rose was shown the Doctor regenerating, and his second regeneration, and Zoe and Jamie, and the Doctor being forcibly regenerated.

Rose had travelled for tens of thousands of years in that manner, but then, the universe started collapsing. Rose refused to let that happen. Well, more accurately, she refused to let anyone die in that way. So, she transported everyone out of that universe, even the Time lords. She wiped the TARDIS's memory and sent her across too. there was only one problem: in order for anyone to be sent across, there had to be at least one person completely in the first universe. She chose to be that person.

The Doctor showed Rose his third self, his fourth self, his fifth self, his sixth self, and his seventh self.

For a hundred years, Rose was alone in a collapsing universe. She had attempted suicide a plethora of times. Rose had not been in a good place, and she saw no reason to continue. And then the Void swallowed even Rose's small pocket of the universe. She awoke in her original universe. She quickly found Martha.

Finally, the Doctor showed Rose his eighth self, the Time War, and his ninth self until he met her.

Finally, they knew everything about each other. Rose pushed her mind into the farthest corners of the Doctor's mind. The Doctor gasped and panted slightly, but a contented, dazed smile emerged onto his face.

The Doctor let his own mind wash through Rose's like a tsunami. Rose, elated, beamed.

They both leaned forward into a kiss.

As they snogged, Rose branded herself onto the Doctor's soul, and the Doctor branded himself onto Rose's soul.

Both of them sighed in dizzy pleasure.

There was one last step they needed to take to be married.

And the Doctor whispered his name to her. Rose promptly drew him into another kiss.

And with the Doctor in her mind, the Bad Wolf and Time Vortex were unable to take control, leaving Rose a regular Time lady.

**And Rose and the Doctor could finally have their forever as Time Lord and Lady, husband and wife. **


End file.
